West is Best:
Should those of us on the left coast not already have a swelled head, this story in the New York Times will put the topper on it. Apparently, we are leading the nation in recycling and related green efforts. And we’re making money at it too.
The larger picture is that the West Coast is a recycling bellwether,
given the emphasis placed on it in Washington, Oregon and California.
That includes legislation in California that requires 50 percent of
waste statewide to be recycled.
“People are just a little greener on the West Coast,” Mr. Croll said.
But
there is a more practical reason for recycling’s success in the West.
Seattle and the rest of the West Coast have Pacific Rim ports at their
disposal, and freighters plying routes to Asia have found a profitable
cargo in recycled paper, particularly for the Chinese market. Waste
paper is now commanding about $90 a ton throughout the United States,
which makes it possible to turn a profit by loading it onto ships
instead of dumping it into landfills.